Why Are There Holes in My Lawn? Identifying Fall Lawn Invaders

If you’re spotting small holes in your lawn overnight, there’s a good chance you’ve got fall lawn invaders on the move. From digging animals searching for grubs to burrowing insects leaving tidy exit holes behind, the clues are all in the details.

This guide walks you through how to identify lawn pests by holes, what causes holes in your lawn, and how to use recommended treatments to get your turf smooth, healthy, and pest-free again.

Why Holes Start Appearing in Fall

You’ve worked hard on your lawn all summer, and just when things are looking great— bam! Holes in the lawn start showing up overnight.

Fall is prime time for this kind of mystery. Cooler soil temperatures, moisture from autumn rain, and leftover thatch from summer growth make your yard an ideal buffet for lawn-burrowing pests and curious wildlife.

It’s not always insects doing the damage. Sometimes it’s the predators hunting them. But every hole tells a story, and we’re about to decode it.

Common Fall Lawn Invaders

Fall is when your lawn starts sending out signals — and those mystery holes are often the first sign something’s stirring beneath the turf. The tricky part is that not all holes are bad. Some mean your soil biology is thriving, while others are a distress call from roots under siege.

Let’s walk through the main culprits (and a few innocent bystanders) leaving holes in your lawn this fall, and how to identify them by the shape, size, and pattern of the damage.

1. Grubs and Beetle Larvae

Hole size: 1–2 inches across, surrounded by torn or flipped turf

When it happens: Late summer through mid-fall

If your lawn looks like it’s been lightly rototilled overnight, you can thank the local wildlife for that — but the real villains are the grubs living below the surface.

Grubs are the larval stage of beetles, such as Japanese beetles, June beetles, and masked chafers. They feed on grass roots, leaving your turf spongy, yellow, and easy to peel back. The holes appear when animals like raccoons, armadillos, skunks, and birds start digging for a midnight snack.

How to confirm:

• Pull up a small section of damaged turf. If it lifts easily and you see white, C-shaped larvae wriggling underneath, that’s your problem.
  

• Grub populations over 5 per square foot will attract digging animals.

What to do:
Hit them with Acelepryn G Granular Insecticide or Acelepryn SC Liquid Insecticide; it’s one of the best products for grub control — long-lasting, effective against multiple beetle species, and safe for beneficial insects and pollinators.

If you’re applying in the fall, follow up with a soil recovery feeding using Humic Max 16-0-8 Fertilizer. The humic acid helps stimulate root regrowth where grubs have chewed things up.

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“If you’re seeing fresh digging every morning, it’s not a raccoon problem — it’s a grub problem with claws attached. Fix the grubs, and the animals will move on.”

Related: Meet the Grubs That Cause Your Lawn Damage

2. Earthworms and Beneficial Insects

Hole size: Pencil-thin vertical holes with small crumbly soil mounds (casts)

When it happens: Anytime soil stays moist and active — especially in fall

Not every hole is bad news! Before you panic about all those small holes in your lawn overnight, take a closer look. If they’re tidy, evenly spaced, and surrounded by tiny pellets of soil, you’ve actually got something to celebrate: earthworm activity.

Earthworms, ground beetles, and other beneficial burrowers help aerate your lawn naturally. They improve drainage, boost microbial diversity, and recycle nutrients.

How to confirm:

• Look for smooth-sided holes (not torn turf).
  

• No yellowing or thinning grass around them.
  

• You may notice soil “castings” on the surface after rain or irrigation.

What to do:
Absolutely nothing except smile. These aren’t lawn burrowing pests; they’re nature’s aerators. To keep them thriving, apply CarbonizPN-G™ in spring and fall for cool-season lawns, and throughout the growing season for warm-season lawns, along with your usual fertilizer. It feeds soil biology, improves microbial activity, and supports the same underground ecosystem worms love.

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“Worm holes mean your soil is alive. If you’ve got a few casts on the surface, brush them in — that’s free fertilizer.”

3. Birds, Raccoons, Skunks, and Armadillos

Hole size: 1–10 inches, shallow and irregular

When it happens: Mostly overnight after rain or irrigation

If you’re waking up to messy holes in your lawn, it’s probably a wildlife buffet line in action. Birds, raccoons, skunks, and armadillos dig into soft, moist turf in search of juicy insects, such as grubs, billbugs, and worms.

These holes often appear overnight and can look chaotic — small craters, torn turf, or bits of sod flipped over. Birds tend to peck small, cone-shaped holes, while mammals make rougher divots.

How to confirm:

• Check for paw prints, droppings, or displaced turf.
  

• Holes appear suddenly in different areas each morning.
  

• Soft, spongy soil often indicates the presence of underlying grub activity.

What to do:
Focus on eliminating their food source. Treat the lawn with Acelepryn G Granular Insecticide or Acelepryn SC Liquid Insecticide to wipe out grubs and beetle larvae.

Once their buffet is gone, your nighttime visitors will move along naturally.

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“Don’t waste time chasing critters — fix the reason they’re digging. Get rid of the grubs, and the guests check out on their own.”

4. Moles and Voles

Hole size:

• Moles: Tunnels and volcano-shaped mounds
  

• Voles: 1–2 inch entrance holes, surface runways in grass.

When it happens: Fall and spring, when the soil is cool and moist

Moles and voles are often confused, but their holes tell two very different stories.

Moles are insect-eating tunnelers. They dig extensive underground highways while hunting grubs, beetles, and earthworms. Their activity leaves raised ridges and conical mounds of soil.

Voles, on the other hand, are plant eaters. They use mole tunnels but also carve runways in the grass and create neat, round entrance holes about the size of a golf ball.

How to confirm:

• Raised soil ridges = moles
  

• Surface “trails” or chewed grass = voles
  

• Volcano-shaped piles = active mole tunnels.

What to do:

Since both are drawn to lawns with insect populations, your first step is to remove their food source using Acelepryn G Granular Insecticide or Acelepryn SC Liquid Insecticide. Once the grubs are gone, moles lose interest.

After control, lightly roll your lawn to collapse tunnels and relevel the soil. Follow with CarbonizPN™ Soil Enhancer for Lawns with Biochar to improve soil density and root resilience.

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“Think of moles as your soil’s pest detectors — if they’ve moved in, something tasty is living down there. Starve them out by treating the bugs.”

Related: Mole Control: How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard

5. Ground Bees and Wasps

Hole size: ¼–½ inch, perfectly round holes with dry soil mounds

When it happens: Late summer through early fall

If your lawn looks like it’s been sprinkled with little sand volcanoes, you might be hosting ground bees or solitary wasps. These insects prefer dry, thin, or compacted soil with little grass cover.

The good news? They’re pollinators, not pests. They rarely sting and don’t harm your turf. The holes are small, round, and often clustered in sunny patches where grass is sparse.

How to confirm:

• Small soil mounds with a single entrance hole
  

• Occasional low-flying bees during the day
  

• No torn turf or dead patches.

What to do:
No chemicals needed. Simply water the area daily — they dislike moisture and will relocate within a few days.

Once they’re gone, focus on thickening your turf to deter future nesting. Use a fall feeding with Lebanon Complete 14-7-14 Fertilizer and improve soil structure with CarbonizPN-G™.

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“Ground bees aren’t invaders — they’re temporary tenants. A little irrigation and better turf density are your best eviction tools.”

6. Gophers

Hole size: 4–8 inches, crescent-shaped mounds of loose soil

When it happens: Year-round, but most active in spring and fall

If you’re noticing fan-shaped mounds of dirt scattered across your yard, you might have a gopher problem on your hands. Unlike moles, which push soil up through a central “volcano” mound, gophers create crescent- or horseshoe-shaped mounds with their tunnel opening off to one side. They’re tidy little excavators — and they can make quite a mess.

Gophers are herbivores, meaning they’re not hunting grubs or insects like moles do. Instead, they feed on grass roots, bulbs, and ornamental plants, often pulling entire blades or stems underground. Over time, their tunnels can cause soft spots and uneven areas across the lawn.

How to confirm:

• Mounds are fan-shaped, not round.
  

• The tunnel entrance is sealed or plugged with soil.
  

• No raised surface tunnels — the digging happens deeper underground.
  

• You may notice clipped or missing vegetation near hole entrances.

What to do:
Since gophers are mammals, traditional insecticides like Acelepryn SC won’t stop them — they’re not after grubs. Instead:

• Locate active tunnels by checking for fresh soil.
  

• Use gopher traps placed about 6–12 inches below the surface in the main tunnel.
  

• Once you’ve eliminated the activity, backfill the holes and level the area.
  

• Feed the recovering turf with Humic Max 16-0-8 Fertilizer to strengthen roots and repair damage.

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If gophers are a recurring issue, you can make your lawn less attractive to them by improving soil health and density with CarbonizPN-G™. Dense, well-fed turf is harder for them to tunnel through and provides fewer tender roots to snack on.

“Fan-shaped mounds mean you’ve got a gopher on payroll — and it’s not doing you any favors. Evict them humanely, rebuild your soil, and they’ll take their digging business elsewhere.

7. Billbugs and Weevils

Hole size: Tiny exit holes (⅛ inch) in grass blades or crowns

When it happens: Late summer to mid-fall

Billbugs don’t dig holes in the soil — they dig into your grass plants themselves. These sneaky beetles lay eggs in grass stems, and when the larvae hatch, they chew their way out through the crown, leaving tiny holes and sawdust-like frass.

The result? Pale, dry patches that mimic drought stress, even when the lawn is well-watered. Because billbugs live inside the grass for part of their lifecycle, they’re often mistaken for disease or heat stress rather than pests.

How to confirm:

• Grass blades pull up easily with frass (fine sawdust) at the base
  

• No digging or torn turf — just thin, dry spots
  

• Activity peaks in late summer when adults emerge.

What to do:
Treat with Acelepryn G Granular Insecticide or Acelepryn SC Liquid Insecticide for long-lasting protection, or if adult billbugs are already active. Both the granular and liquid products target the pest at multiple life stages.

If you think your lawn may have a fungal disease in addition to an insect problem, Caravan® G Fungicide & Insecticide will clear up both issues in one application.

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After control, apply Humic Max 16-0-8 Fertilizer to help your turf recover, rebuild roots, and restore color.

“If your lawn looks thirsty but watering doesn’t help, it might be billbugs — not drought. Always check the base of the grass before you grab the hose.”

Related: How to Stop Billbugs and Weevils Munching Your Lawn

How to Identify Lawn Pests by Holes

Hole Description	Likely Culprit	Damage Type	Best Solution
Shallow holes with torn or flipped turf	Raccoons, skunks, or armadillos	Digging for grubs and worms	Acelepryn G Granular Insecticide or Acelepryn SC Liquid Insecticide to remove the food source
Pencil-size holes with soil mounds	Earthworms and beneficial insects	None — natural aeration	No treatment; encourage healthy soil with CarbonizPN-GT™
Round holes (¼–⅓ inch) with dry, sandy mounds	Ground bees or solitary wasps	Minimal surface disturbance	Water the area daily to encourage relocation; thicken turf
Raised tunnels or volcano-shaped mounds	Moles	Subsurface tunnelling, and root damage	Acelepryn G Granular Insecticide or Acelepryn SC Liquid Insecticide to eliminate insect food source; roll lawn flat
Small round openings with grass runways	Voles	Grass clipping and root feeding	Level runways, overseed, and feed with Humic Max 16-0-8 Fertilizer
Fan-shaped or crescent mounds of loose soil	Gophers	Root feeding, uneven ground, damaged turf	Trap active tunnels; repair with Humic Max 16-0-8 Fertilizer + CarbonizPN™ Soil Enhancer
Tiny exit holes (⅛ inch) with sawdust-like frass	Billbugs and weevils	Crown and stem damage	Acelepryn G Granular Insecticide or Acelepryn SC Liquid Insecticide for larvae and adult control; follow up with Enhancer for Lawns with Biochar

How to Fix Holes and Prevent More Damage

Once you’ve identified what’s causing the holes in your lawn, the next step is to fix the damage — and more importantly, to prevent it from happening again.

Whether your lawn looks like a golf course bunker or just has a few small divots, recovery is absolutely doable with the right approach. Think of this as giving your turf a reset before winter sets in.

1. Level and Fill the Holes

Start by restoring your lawn’s surface. For small to medium holes, mix topsoil with compost or sand to create a smooth, nutrient-rich fill. This blend improves drainage and helps new grass establish more quickly.

• Small holes (under 2 inches): Simply brush soil into the depression and press it down with your foot or the back of a rake.
  

• Medium holes (2–6 inches): Fill halfway, tamp gently, water, then top off and seed.
  

• Large holes or tunnels (from moles or raccoons): Collapse tunnels with a light roll, then backfill with fresh soil. Avoid compacting it too tightly — roots need air space to grow.

Read more>> How to Level a Bumpy Lawn 

2. Reseed and Rebuild the Turf

Once the surface is level, it’s time to reintroduce grass. Choose the same grass type you already have to maintain a uniform look. Fall is ideal because cooler temperatures and consistent moisture help new grass germinate quickly.

• Loosen the top ½ inch of soil before seeding to create good seed-to-soil contact.
  

• Spread seed evenly using a broadcast or hand spreader.
  

• Lightly rake and roll the area to settle the seed.
  

• Water the area daily for the first two weeks, keeping it consistently moist (but not soggy).

After germination, gradually reduce watering frequency while increasing depth. Deep watering promotes root strength and resilience — the best natural defense against lawn burrowing pests.

Product tip: For a jumpstart, apply Lebanon Complete 14-7-14 Fertilizer at seeding. It provides balanced nutrients that fuel early root growth and turf density.

3. Feed and Fortify the Lawn

Once new grass begins to grow, it’s time to rebuild soil health and strengthen roots. Even if you’ve eliminated the pests, a stressed lawn is an open invitation for the next wave of trouble.

That’s where humic and carbon-rich fertilizers come in.

Apply Humic Max 16-0-8 Fertilizer about three weeks after seeding. This blend delivers nitrogen for greening, potassium for stress resistance, and humic acid to supercharge soil microbial activity. It’s one of the best fertilizers for post-repair recovery.

Follow up with CarbonizPN-G™ if your soil is sandy or compacted. It adds biochar and composted organics to increase soil structure and moisture retention — critical for long-term turf resilience.

4. Water Deeply, Not Daily

It’s tempting to overwater after repairing damage, but shallow watering can backfire. It encourages weak roots that sit close to the surface — exactly where grubs and billbugs love to feed.

Instead, water deeply and infrequently:

• Aim for 1 inch of water per week, split into 2–3 sessions.
  

• Let the top inch of soil dry between waterings.
  

• Early morning irrigation is best to minimize evaporation and disease risk.

If you’ve used CarbonizPN™ Soil Enhancer, it will help retain moisture and improve infiltration, meaning you’ll get better results with less water.

5. Monitor and Reapply Pest Protection

Once your lawn looks good again, don’t let your guard down. Many fall lawn pests causing holes have multi-stage lifecycles and can reappear the following season. Prevention beats treatment every time.

Here’s a simple protection schedule:

• Spring (March–April): Apply Acelepryn SC as a preventative grub and billbug treatment.
  

• Summer (June–July): Reapply if pest pressure is high or you’ve had digging wildlife return.
  

• Fall (September–October): Feed with Humic Max to help grass recover from summer stress and prepare for dormancy.

If you had mole or vole issues, monitor for new tunnels. If activity resumes, it’s a sign grubs or other insects have returned — repeat your insecticide treatment.

6. Encourage Soil Life, Don’t Just Kill Pests

The best long-term defense against holes is a balanced soil ecosystem. When beneficial microbes thrive, they naturally help suppress pest populations.

After insecticide treatments, apply CarbonizPN-G™ to reintroduce healthy bacteria and fungi that restore balance underground. This step ensures you’re not just wiping out pests — you’re rebuilding a self-sustaining lawn ecosystem.

Healthy microbial activity helps:

• Break down organic matter faster
  

• Reduce thatch buildup
  

• Improve root nutrient uptake
  

• Keep earthworms and beneficial insects active year-round.

“A soil test tells you what’s missing — microbes fix it for you. Feed your soil life, and it’ll take care of pest control from the inside out.”

7. Keep Wildlife Away (Naturally)

If your main issue was digging animals like raccoons or armadillos, the best deterrent is simply removing their food source. But while you’re working on that, you can discourage them humanely:

• Run motion-activated sprinklers or ultrasonic deterrents overnight.
  

• Pick up fallen fruit, birdseed, or compost scraps that attract foraging animals.
  

• Keep the lawn evenly mowed and edged — tall grass provides cover for small animals.

Once the insects are gone, these visitors quickly lose interest.

Related: How to Fix Bare Spots in Your Lawn

FAQs: Fall Lawn Holes and Pests

Q: Why do I only notice new holes in my lawn after it rains?

A: Moist soil attracts underground activity. Grubs move closer to the surface, and animals like raccoons or armadillos start digging for them. Rain also softens the ground, making it easier for pests to burrow and for beneficial insects, such as earthworms to create air tunnels. If holes appear only after rain, it’s likely linked to moisture and soil movement — not disease or fungus.

Q: Are all small holes in my lawn a bad sign?

A: Not necessarily! Some holes are caused by beneficial soil organisms, such as earthworms or solitary bees. These help with aeration, pollination, and drainage. The holes you should worry about are irregular, messy, or accompanied by torn turf, yellow patches, or signs of digging animals.

Q: What’s the difference between mole holes and vole holes?

A: Moles leave raised tunnels and conical mounds as they dig for insects underground. Voles, on the other hand, leave small, round openings at the surface, often with visible runways through the grass. Moles eat bugs — voles eat roots. If your grass looks chewed or clipped near the soil line, you’re dealing with voles.

Q: Can fertilizer or soil treatments attract pests?

A: No. Fertilizers like Humic Max 16-0-8 Fertilizer or CarbonizPN-G™ don’t attract insects; they strengthen the turf and make it less inviting to pests. Weak, thatchy, or overwatered lawns are the real attractants — not healthy, fed ones.

Q: Should I fill in pest holes before treating the lawn?

A: Treat first, then repair. If you fill the holes before applying Acelepryn SC Insecticide, you risk trapping active pests underground where the product can’t reach. Once you’ve eliminated the problem, backfill and overseed to allow new grass to take hold.

Q: Do holes in my lawn mean I need to aerate?

A: Sometimes, yes. If the holes are random and uneven, they’re from pests. But if your soil feels hard, drains poorly, or your grass struggles to thrive, core aeration is a smart move. Aeration relieves compaction — a common condition that attracts insects and burrowing animals.

Q: Can bird activity cause lasting damage to my lawn?

A: Not usually. Birds pecking for worms leave tiny, harmless holes that actually help with natural aeration. The only time it becomes a problem is when large flocks feed daily in the same area, which thins your grass. If that’s the case, apply Acelepryn SC to remove the grubs they’re targeting, and they’ll move on.

Q: How long does it take for grass to recover after fixing pest holes?

A: With good soil prep and the right fertilizer, you can expect visible regrowth within 3–4 weeks in the fall. Products like Humic Max 16-0-8 Fertilizer and Lebanon Complete 14-7-14 Fertilizer accelerate recovery by promoting robust root development. Just keep the repaired areas moist and avoid mowing too soon.

Q. Can compacted soil cause small holes to form naturally?

A: It can, indirectly. Compacted soil limits drainage, forcing water to escape through cracks or micro-holes. It also drives earthworms and insects closer to the surface, which increases natural hole formation. If you’re seeing this, top-dress with CarbonizPN™ Soil Enhancer for Lawns with Biochar and plan to aerate your lawn annually.

Getting to the Root of the Hole Problem

Sometimes the biggest mysteries in lawn care start with the smallest holes. Whether it’s grubs, moles, or a family of armadillos treating your yard like a midnight snack bar, the key is always the same — get to the root of the problem. Feed the soil, fortify the turf, and keep an eye on what’s happening beneath the surface.

With the right mix of prevention, patience, and the pro-grade products from the Golf Course Lawn store, you’ll turn those holes into a smooth, healthy lawn that looks like it belongs on the back nine.